# Devolution of Operations **Devolution** is the transfer of an agency's essential functions and authority to geographically separated personnel when both the primary staff and the designated alternate facility are unavailable. It is the deepest fallback in federal continuity planning — the layer below relocation — and required of federal executive branch agencies under the Federal Continuity Directives. Devolution works only if two things were done in advance: **orders of succession**, which pre-designate at least three deep for each key position, and **delegations of authority**, pre-signed so that a successor's power does not wait on a new signature. It is also the least-exercised element of continuity planning, because a realistic devolution exercise requires standing down the primary staff. See [[Continuity of Government Structure]]. ## See also - [[Continuity of Government]] - [[Continuity of Government Structure]] - [[National Essential Functions]]